Peace Walkers
The Peace Walkers are the elite force of Altruism, a small unit created to take on the most risqué operations that the standard combat unit are ill-equipped for, either solo or as a team. Like the Peacekeepers, they are hand-picked by Altruism from across the globe and put through extensive tests to ensure their suitability. Because of its status as a hi-tech elite force infiltration unit, all members of the Peace Walkers were heavily trained and rigorously taught a wide field of survival, martial, and operational skills; from a plethora of insertion and manoeuvring methods, to skydiving techniques and underwater infiltration, in order to cover all possible routes of infiltration into an enemy nation; advanced outdoor survival skills, including scenarios regarding long period wilderness survival and a wide range of harsh environments; acute stalking, detonation operations, wireless communication, procuring and reusing enemy resources, gathering information, varying martial arts, emergency medical operations, languages, and hi-tech devices. Creation Once Altruism had been firmly established and active for some time, the founders came to the realisation that although their combat unit was efficient, they needed more than just normal soldiers to succeed in their goals. Snake was gone, Raiden was unwilling to become a fully-bound agent and the rise in Metal Gears was sure to come soon, the very thing they were trying to prevent. Whereas the selection process of the Peacekeepers was hard enough, it was decided that Altruism's elite force would need to be put though a brutal endurance test to ensure that only the very best of the best throughout the world were selected. In this regard, they would expel the rule that was placed upon the Peacekeepers recruitment of clean records, noting that some of the world's most promising could have tarnishes. Altruism were looking for not only the best in military terms, but also looked for those who could provide other skills, such as field technology, stealth and medical skills. Recruitment After Altruism was organised into an official unit, very strict selection procedures were adopted. Firstly, potential recruits, regardless of their record, were only chosen from various special forces. Recruits must also pass exams in three different aspects: Physical: * Physical fitness test * Short-distance running * Uninterrupted performance of 80 push-ups * Uninterrupted performance of 100 sit-ups * 50 meter freestroke swim * Combat diving skill * Cross-country march (travelling 64 km miles in under 15 hours, carrying a 30 kg pounds backpack) Psychological: * Mental recovery, concentration, endurance, self-control and the fortitude to overcome difficult situations * ESP expectancy score * Marksmanship * Recognizing and making decisions in emergency situations Intelligence: * Foreign languages * Foreign geography * Knowledge of world events * Advanced technology * Medical procedures * Detonation operations * Stealth communication * Foreign weaponry After passing the selection courses, the recruits then partake in professional training exercises (also known as drills), which include: * Battlefield survival (14 weeks) * Shooting practice (must score at least 95% for a target at 914 m ft, and 100% for a target at 548 m ft) * Guard patrol * Mountaineering * Hand-to-hand combat * Border infiltration * Guerrilla warfare * Land navigation * Map-reading * Escape and evasion * Combat medical skills * Rebelling and Ranger practice * Weapons familiarization * Nautical vehicle control and navigation * Diving and underwater infiltration * Canoeing * Basic military parachute skills (4 weeks) ** Special operations freefall practice (High-Altitude, Low-Opening HALO and High-Altitude, High-Opening HAHO) ** 11 jumps carrying little to no combat equipment ("Hollywood") ** 15 jumps with full combat equipment ** 2 nighttime jumps ** 2 mass-tactical strategic jumps * Intelligence gathering * Language and customs of the destination country (4 weeks) * Stealth techniques * Improvised explosive devices * Utilization of high-tech equipment * Communications (16 weeks) * Medical exam (10 weeks) Initiation Upon their succession of training to become a Peace Keeper (of which many fail), the individual is subjected to a two week dose of nanomachines being slowly introduced into their biological system, to ensure that they become more than just a 'normal' soldier. Also, any cybernetics that the individual may possess are upgraded to the highest level. The nanomachines will eventually grant the individual the following: * Enhanced strength * Enhanced speed * Enhanced stamina * Enhanced durability * Enhanced perception * Enhanced healing factor However, although the nanomachines may have many positive side effects, they also come with several drawbacks, which are a dealbreaker to some who wish to become a Peace Walker: * Enhanced ageing (the individual's growth cells will break down much faster, decreasing their lifespan to an expected age of 50-60) * Impotency * Possibility of developing insomnia, night terrors and even insanity. Should the individual accept the nanomachines (and react well to initial results) they will be accepted as a Peace Walker. If they do not accept, or react badly to the initial nanomachines, they will be stripped of the nanomachines and either recruited into the Peacekeepers or discharged from Altruism. Codenames As a nod to his passed friend Snake, Otacon decided to use FOXHOUND's codename system specifically for the Peace Walkers. The original FOXHOUND codename comprised an animal name and a preceding personal identifier to distinguish between those operatives named after the same animal. Often this identifier represented either the individual's weapon of choice or particular skill that they specialized in, but sometimes these codenames were more ambiguous in nature. Otacon explained that famous examples were Solid Snake, Sniper Wolf, Vulcan Raven and Grey Fox. Equipment Unlike the Peacekeepers, the Peace Walkers are subject to the very top-of-the-range tech Altruism have access to, as well as customised gear suited to the individual, be it weapons, armour and/or vehicles. They do however have several fixed items at their disposal: RK Type-HVR The Peace Walkers' personal air transport, to which only they and the heads of Altruism have access to board. The ship itself is a sizeable vessel, able to accommodate all members of the team plus any extracts, having its own sleeping quarters. Equipped with a number of weapons, including a rail gun, missile launchers and anti-rocket flares, as well as titanium weave plating, it is well suited for combat should the need arise. As with others, it can be fully cloaked with the OctoCamo technology and can survey areas of operation with thermal, night vision and ultra-violet. RK Track-VII Stored within the hull of the HVR, the VII is the Peace Walkers' land vehicle. Like the Track-II, it is designed to handle terrains of all kinds and is covered in the same titanium chassis. All of the onboard weaponry is stored within the vehicle panels and can be activated from the dashboard, two machineguns and an anti-tank turret. RK Track-FR An upgraded version of the Track-F, the FR is built for higher speed and durability, with an added electromagnetic charge to incapacitate nearby aggressors. The built-up electric charge can also be used to power the engine when the motor runs dry. The stopping power of the machineguns has also been upgraded, making them even more effective against hostiles.